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How to: Stop Motion Lens

Stop motion photography is the technique of taking a number of pictures of the same scene over an extended period of time. The length of time depends on how quickly the event you are photographing takes place. A sunrise may only require two to three hours of shooting, whereas waiting for caterpillar to emerge as a butterfly may take days or weeks. In addition to selecting the right amount of time, you need to select the right lens for the project as well.

Things You'll Need

Tripod
Remote shutter release with timer function
Wide angle lens with a focal length of 20mm to 35mm

Instructions

- 1
  Determine the location where you want to place your camera. Select a lens that will capture the scene in its entirety and remain in focus throughout the scene as it changes. If you are shooting a sunrise you will need a lens that will keep the sun in the picture as it rises into the sky. A wide angle lens with a focal length between 20mm to 35mm would be a good choice.
- 2
  Attach the lens to the camera and the camera to a tripod. Extend the tripod legs and position the tripod in the shooting position you have selected as the best place to photograph the scene.
- 3
  Pre-focus the lens on the subject that you are shooting. Adjust the aperture on the lens so the depth of field -- the amount of scene that is in focus -- is deep enough so that the front of the scene and the back of the scene is in focus. To confirm that the lens is set correctly, press the "Lens stop down" button on the front of the camera while you are looking through the viewfinder. The viewfinder will become darker as the aperture closes on the lens and you will be able to see how much of the scene is in focus.
- 4
  Attach a remote timer to your camera; program the timer for the number of pictures and the length of time you want to take the pictures over, and then press the "Start" button.

Photography